Alternative Understandings
by Satashi
Summary: In an alternate timeline, Yuu and Touko never met at school. Without each other to help shape their lives, Yuu goes to college while working as a live streamer for games, and eventually being a female escort/call girl. Touko joins an acting group and makes a break into commercials and advertisements. Now, a girl who can't love meets a girl who can't sleep.
1. Chapter 1

If someone were to ask me how I ended up where I was today, I wouldn't really be sure how they would take it. High school was plain enough. I joined the track team, did some races, and stayed out of trouble. I ran a bookstore while I was at home, talked to friends, and had fun. When I entered college, things got a little tight. I couldn't afford to commute to my old home to work anymore, so I had to find a new job. I did what nobody wanted me to do: Tried to be a celebrity online playing games. I loved games growing up, and was pretty good at them. Although I had a pretty nice fan base, it still wasn't enough. Then I saw an ad for a local brothel house. Love was never my strong point, so I thought why not? A few hours would make me more than I did a week streaming my games, and it would be easy for someone like me. Besides, I had already dabbled in something like that before...

**Alternative Understandings**

**By:**

**Satashi**

Yuu looked over her schedule for the day while walking to her next meet up. Classes had just ended and that Saturday night was booked for her. '_Who in their right mind would reserve a call girl for an entire freaking night?_' She asked herself. '_Thank goodness for background checks, this would be sketchy as heck..._' Yuu blew a bubble with her gum before tossing it in a trash can she passed. With a quick breath test, she rounded the corner of a building and looked around. '_Okay... On a bench in the square by the fountain..._' Skimming the crowd, Yuu tried to find the person who she would escort for the night.

"Excuse me?" A voice made Yuu turn around to see a taller girl with long raven hair and crystal blue eyes before her. "Uhm, is your name Yuu-san by any chance?"

"Just Yuu is fine," the girl smiled. "Touko-san?"

"Touko is fine too," The woman smiled at her. "This is my first time, sorry if I'm a little awkward."

"I've only been with one girl before, myself." With a smile, Yuu linked their arms together and looked up at her. "So, you have me all night? What would you like to do?"

"Ah, uhm," Touko looked rather nervous. "I, um, wouldn't mind going to get something to eat first?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm not allowed to bring anything except my phone while on the job. No money or anything like that."

Touko shook her head. "No, no, my treat. Think of it as a tip? It's okay to tip, right?"

A small laugh came from Yuu and she nodded at her. "Okay okay, I'll accept." The two began to walk together, Yuu letting the older woman lead. "I heard you requested me specifically? Is there any reason?"

Touko's cheeks colored darkly. "Uhm, well... I found your website thanks to browsing history at work and curiosity took over... Looking at the pictures of everyone, I thought you might... be the one to ask for this... kinda stuff..."

"I'll do my best to not disappoint." Yuu felt a little bit of pride in that. As they walked in comfortable silence, the two gave each other little glances that mainly ended up with Touko turning and looking away very quickly. '_What a shy girl! She doesn't look like the type to do something like this. Maybe she's just curious?_' The two stopped in front of a nice looking place with large black windows and yellow mood lights dotting the outside of the restaurant.

"Here, this is it." Touko smiled at her.

"Eh? This... This is way too expensive!" Yuu shook her head. "I can't accept this, dinner will cost more than an entire normal service!"

"Shhh!" Touko held a finger to her lips. "That's embarrassing!"

"Ah, sorry... It just kinda slipped out." Yuu allowed the girl to pull her inside, instantly looking around with wide eyes. "Oh man, I'm so under dressed for this..." Her eyes glanced down at her casual hoodie pull over on top of a collared button up and jeans. "Your report said casual..."

"Sorry, I made this decision a little last minute so we could talk first." Touko made eye contact with the hostess at the front, and with a few words, they were being shown to a reserved table. The two were seated, Yuu even pulling Touko's chair for her, and soon began to talk while skimming the menu.

"You don't have to answer, but what do you do for a living, Touko?"

"Ah, I... act... and stuff."

"And stuff?" Yuu tilted her head. "If I'm prying too much, it's okay."

Touko shook her head. "No, no, it's uhm... I guess you could say an idol? I do theater work at the local place in town, but lately it's been more photo shoots for magazine ads and even had a few commercials as well."

"Oh wow!" Yuu looked clearly impressed. "And so young? When did you start?"

"Second year in high school. I was scouted after a play I did. I got in with some really talented people with connections and everything just lined up. Really lucky."

"I bet you're skilled too. My high school didn't have any theater groups, so only my student council did plays at the culture festival."

Touko blinked. "Er, what high school did you go to?"

"Tohmi East. Just graduated, first year in college."

Touko almost dropped her menu. "No way! I graduated from there two years ago."

Yuu looked at her a moment before suddenly almost standing up. "You were the student council president!"

"Shhh!" Touko looked around, glad no one seemed to be paying attention to them. "I don't want anyone to know I'm with a...um...I mean..."

Calming down, Yuu set herself correctly in her chair again. "A call girl, it's okay. I know what I am." She smiled at her client. "But I'm shocked... and honored really. To choose me out of all the beautiful women, it's really a flattering compliment... Thank you."

Their orders were taken shortly and before long they were talking about times they had in high school, and even realizing that Touko had raced against Yuu in the sports festival track team verses student council event. When their food came, Touko couldn't hold back the look of joy on her face when she saw Yuu's eyes light up. The girl had ordered a seafood platter, and was gushing over how nice it looked.

"You're really cute, you know that?" Touko asked, just enjoying the sight.

"Hey, come on, I'm supposed to be the one complimenting." Smiling, Yuu began to start on her meal alongside her date. "I haven't been eating well at the dorms lately, so this is amazing."

"Oh? Have a roommate?"

"I was supposed to, but they canceled last moment. Have the place to myself. It's good because it's just a small room with two beds and two desks really. No space to do anything at all." Taking a bite of her dinner, Yuu closed her eyes. "Oh man this is so good, thank you for this."

Eyes shining, Touko nodded at her. "You're very welcome. I feel so much better about this now, I was really nervous so I had to try and get time to know you before...going back."

"Anytime you want to get time, call me." Yuu teased her.

After the meal and a slice of cheesecake, much to Touko's insistence, the pair left the restaurant and went back into the now dark evening outside. The two looked at each other and smiled,Yuu taking Touko's arm again. A short bus ride later they arrived at a hotel and Yuu felt a little bad for it. "You know, a love hotel would be fine... this must have been expensive."

"Uhm... I'm too shy to go into one, so I thought this would be just as good..."

"If it's what you want," Yuu guided her in so they could get their keycard and make their way to the room. Once inside, Yuu began to make herself comfortable. "Would you like to shower first or just get into it?" Tilting her head, she smiled.

"Uhm, shower first!" Nodding quickly, Touko tried not to blush. "Mind if I go first?"

"Not at all." Yuu sat down on the end of the bed. "Take your time, hun." When Touko went into the bathroom, the golden eyed girl pulled her phone and began to check her social media. '_A whole night, and with a girl no less... This will be an experience...Good thing I got advice at work so I wouldn't end up doing something stupid..._'

As the time passed, Touko came from the bathroom in a robe. Her hair was blow dried and combed, the smell of peaches emitting from her. "Uhm, you don't have to if you don't want to?"

"It's fine, I like showers." Yuu gave her a wink and went to the bathroom as well, stripping easily and turning on the water in the shower. '_How many showers have I taken since I started this job?'_ She pondered while quickly shampooing her hair and scrubbing her body clean. '_Once before and once after ever client, sometimes four showers in a day... my poor hair is going to be wrecked._'

Getting finished up, she started to dry her hair while looking over her body. '_And here we go again, once more._' She didn't feel bad about what she was doing, instead she rather didn't feel anything at all. '_I still don't even know what love is,_' she thought to herself. '_Being with random people, having sex for money... It doesn't make me feel anything. My emotions just seem so... empty to me._' Her hand grabbed a robe from the hanger and slid it on over her body, ignoring how it almost swallowed her up.

Walking into the room, she waved at Touko. "Sorry I made you wait." Her body leaned over, crawling along the bed until she was over the girl. "So... What would you like from me, Touko-senpai?"

"S-senpai...?"

"You were a red ribbon, I was yellow. Senpai." Her body straddled the raven haired girl's, palms moving to her shoulders to ease the robe back. "Your wish is my desire."

"Ah, uhm, actually... I have a request?"

"Yes?" Leaning over, she touched their noses. "Normally weird stuff is extra, but you bought me dinner, so I can go a little crazy for you." Her tone was soft and flirty, eyes narrowing a bit to give a sultry look.

"If... If it's okay with you... Uhm... I..." Her words were starting to fumble as Yuu continued to openly flirt by finger combing the girl's hair. "I'd... honestly... just like to sleep with you?"

Yuu blinked. "That's... kind of the idea with us, you know?"

"No, no...I mean... Literally sleep...together..."

"You... want me to be your body pillow?" Yuu tilted her head and Touko nodded. "That's it? That's why you reserved the whole night?"

"I'm sorry, is that bad? Y-you don't have to-"

"Calm down, calm down." Yuu moved to sit next to her on the bed. "I don't mind, but... this is expensive, you know? You're literally paying me to sleep..." When nothing came for a moment, Yuu sighed out. "Hey, Touko?" She got glanced at to show she was being listened to. "Want to talk about it? I can tell something is bothering you."

It took a moment, but Touko shifted so she could hug her knees, chin resting on them. "I have insomnia... It's gotten so bad that even my makeup artist is scolding me for not getting enough sleep. I've began to just keep working because I know I won't sleep anyway... taking extra jobs, getting my name out there, starting live streams with my fans... Anything to stay out of bed."

"Did... something happen?"

Shaking her head, Touko closed her eyes. "No... Yes... I dunno... I just..." Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. "Is it okay to move on?"

"Of course... Hey, come here." Yuu moved the covers on the bed and slid under them, still just in her robe. "Big spoon or little spoon?"

"Big." Touko watched Yuu turn around and adjust, back facing her. "Is this really okay...?"

"I'm yours until sunrise." Yuu looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Come on, let's get you some sleep."

Moving into the covers, the girl slid up against Yuu and slipped an arm around her waist. Their forms shuffled a little to fall into place and soon Touko found herself with one arm under the pillow and the other cuddling Yuu to her front. One of her legs went up between Yuu's and she found Yuu's hand moving up to hold hers. "Thank you for this."

"Shhh. Just relax. I'm with you, so nothing bad will happen tonight okay? Get some rest."

"Mmmnn.." Touko nuzzled into the girl's hair and closed her eyes. It only took her a few moments before the stress of not sleeping, paired with her hectic job made her absolutely crash.

Yuu felt the soft snoring against her hair and smiled to herself. Her eyes drifted closed and she focused on the feeling of being held, something she wasn't quite used to. Even though it was still early by her standards, she felt a calm seeping through her and before long, she was out for the night as well.

When Touko awoke, she found Yuu still in her arms. The girl was playing a game on her phone with the volume muted. "Mmmngg... Hey... Good morning."

"Good afternoon," Yuu looked over her shoulder with a lazy smile. "You were sleeping so hard, I didn't want to wake you."

"Eh? What time is it?" She watched Yuu swipe the top of her phone down to reveal the clock. "It's already noon? Oh gosh, Yuu, I'm so sorry, you could have woken me up!"

"Hey, relax." Yuu turned to face her, smiling. "I don't have class today, and you struggle so much with just falling asleep that you paid way too much to have a girl come share a bed with you. It was really nice. I enjoyed it."

"...Thank you. I'm so glad it worked, I just really... wanted the feeling of someone with me."

"It's okay. Could you do me a favor though? When you get an email about your experience, please say that I left on time. I can get in trouble if I stay longer with a client."

"Of course." Touko smiled at her. "Would it... be okay if I asked for you again?"

"If you're okay with me, I wouldn't mind at all." Yuu nodded at her. "Thanks for the wonderful night, Touko. I hope you do well with your rest."

"Mmn! Thank you!"

Yuu gave a mouth splitting yawn as she closed down her live stream for the night. She had been on a winning streak in the newest first person shooter game on the market, and had gotten quite a few subscribers over the several hours she had worked. Her eyes skimmed her stats, smiling at the now amazing ten thousand yen a month earnings from her subscribers and almost half that from additional advertising revenue. "Man, being a streamer sure is hard work..." Rubbing her eyes, she looked out the window and realized that it was already morning time. "And now class..."

Yuu made her way from her dorm down to the campus so she could try and get in a small jog to wake herself up more. Her only class that day wasn't too far off, and soon she was inside the warm building and outside of the chilly air. "Hey, Akari!" Yuu called to her friend and got a high five when sitting down at her desk.

"Hey, you see the new campus magazine?" Akari tossed it on Yuu's desk. "Guess who's on page seventeen?"

Laughing, Yuu opened the magazine. "Let me guess, tall, big mouth, yells a lot-" She was swatted upside the head and giggled before looking at her friend on the group basketball team photo. "Wow, college basketball. Good going! Proud of you."

"Thanks!" Akari sat at her desk in front of Yuu. "What did you do over the weekend?"

"Slept," Yuu answered honestly, skimming the pages for anything interesting. "You?"

"Practice." She eyes her friend. "What you looking for?"

"Just checking something out of curiosity." Her eyes kept moving, looking at every page before sighing. "Guess not." Akari gave her a look when she handed the magazine back so she explained. "Oh, I just met someone online who said they were an idol. I was checking to see if I saw them in the book."

"Pffft, don't believe anything you read online. You of all people should know that."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuu brought up her phone and idly tapped on it to check her mail. At the top of her new messages, she saw a report from her work, getting a full five star review. A smile came to her lips and a new message popped up, showing a new job. Sure enough, Touko had reserved her again for the upcoming Saturday night.

"You're smiling, what's up?" Akari teased her. "That idol friend of yours flirting with you?"

"Yup." Yuu slid her phone into her pocket and ignored the sudden rush of questions.

Once again Yuu found herself leaning against a light post, looking up at the darkening sky. Her mind went back to the past month after meeting Touko. Every weekend it was the same thing, meet up for a date, talk about anything and nothing all at once, and then going to the hotel to be used as a body pillow. Although she really started to enjoy the time with Touko, it was starting to eat away at her. She had regular customers, but they were ones who just preferred her and made sure she worked for her money. Touko on the other hand, was just giving her savings freely just to not be lonely. For the first time, Yuu felt her heart saddened at the thought.

"Yuuuuuu!" Touko jogged up to her, panting. "Sorry I'm late! Work ran overtime."

"It's fine, it's fine. I didn't have anything going on anyway. I've learned to keep my Saturdays free." She allowed Touko just enough time to catch her breath before linking arms with her. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"I was hoping, if you're okay with it, to come over to my place. I have an apartment."

Yuu hesitated. "Did you book me for a home visit or a hotel visit?"

"Uhm... I think hotel? I just did the same thing I always do. Click your name and enter the time and payment information."

"Home visits cost more," Yuu revealed. "But hey, I don't mind... just you have to lie on the survey or I'll get in some serious trouble..."

"Okay, sorry about this... You sure?"

"I trust you," Yuu pulled her a little closer. "So, which way?"

"This way," Touko lead her, smiling as random people glanced over at them. "How was your week? Are you getting new people on your game channel?"

"Slowly. Very slowly." Yuu grinned despite her words. "Lately it's been picking up though! I can't live off it yet, but it's to the point where I don't have to worry as much about bills!"

"That's great! I'm proud of you!"

"Thank you! And how about you? Been busy?"

"Actually, I have to tell you something! Next week I'll be away at an on sight shoot for a hot springs advert so I won't be able to make our usual date night..."

"Aw. Will you be okay? Are you sleeping better?"

"Not really, no." Touko gave her friend a light smile. "The only night I get a full rest is Saturday. All the others just... don't work." The two got on a train to make it across the town, chatting randomly as they made their way to Touko's house.

Once they were at the apartment complex, Touko lead Yuu to her room and allowed her to step in first. "Nice place," Yuu praised. The apartment was small but cozy. A tiny kitchen to the side, a living room, and what Yuu assumed to be a bedroom.

"Uhm, I have a gift for you."

"Touko! You're spoiling me!" Yuu pouted at her, but still accepted the small bag. "Can I open it now?" Getting a nod, she moved to the couch with her friend and client so she could pull out the contents. First was a small box with the image of a planetarium on it.

"I went to see the stars on one of my trips," she revealed. "I really loved it and when I saw the projector, I just wanted to get it for you."

"Thank you, that's really neat!" Yuu looked at it again, smiling. "This will be awesome for making my dorm look less empty." Next she pulled out what appeared to be a shirt. However when she unfolded it, it went way down to what would be her knees. On the front of it was a small outline of a cat with the words 'this is my cat costume' written across it. "A sleeping shirt?

"Well, you know, we met over sleeping together and everything... It just felt right?"

Shaking her head, Yuu just laughed. "Touko, you're going to make me blush." Still, she looked over at her with a smile. "I'll wear it for you next time we're together."

"Not tonight?" she looked a little disappointed.

"Tonight, I wanted to treat you." Yuu grinned. "I got a small sample of something we use sometimes. It's a massage oil." Reaching over to her purse, Yuu pulled out the tiny container. "It's only enough for about one use, but it is warm and makes you feel really good. So how about it? Want me to work some magic on your back?" She grinned, wagging her eyebrows at her playfully.

"I-I'd love it!" Touko stammered, face red. "Uhm... Uhm... I guess bedroom?"

"Sure." Yuu followed her and giggled when the girl just stood by the bed. "You gotta take off your clothes to use oil, honey." The words made Touko blush more and she began to pull off her shirt, turning around to undo her bra.

"I've... never taken my clothes off in front of someone before... It's embarrassing."

"Want me to strip to so you're not the only one?" Yuu offered, half to be helpful, half to tease.

"... Uhm... would you? It'd make me feel a whole lot less self-conscious and every-whoa fast!"

Yuu shook her hair as her shirt and hoodie came off in one fluid motion. "Yeah, it comes with the job." She noticed Touko eyeing her, mouth slightly open. "Oh? You're staring." Turning around, Yuu began to slowly move her hips, humming a song while stripping. Once her jeans were off, she hooked her thumbs over her panties and wiggled them as well.

"P-panties too!?" Touko almost shrieked.

"Prefer not?" Yuu looked over her shoulder, grinning. "Normally we're in our robes, but I never have underwear on anyway."

"I... I mean... uhm... C-can we keep them on!?"

"Of course." Yuu laughed at her. "I knew you'd say that."

"Then why did you do _that_!?"

"To tease you. You're adorable when you blush."

Touko bopped Yuu on the arm for that. "Oh, you're getting a rotten review, Missy!"

Yuu gently moved to push Touko onto the bed with a smirk on her face. "Oh just wait, _Senpai_, I'll make sure I earn my pay..." Once face down, the blue eyed girl seemed to calm down a little bit more. Yuu climbed to her back and straddled her thighs to drip oil onto the bare skin before her. "Hey... you're an idol right? Where can I see your stuff?"

"Mmm..." Touko gave a half lazy moan from the massage she was getting. "I have a pocky commercial coming on soon, and a makeup advert in a few teen magazines. I also decided to live stream to my fans. I did a manga bit last week and suddenly I have people interested in me."

Yuu tried not to give a bitter smile. "Just watch out for the pervs. I used to work at a book store and every month I'd get some really weird people in there who would flirt with me non-stop when they found out I liked the manga they got."

"They probably thought they had a chance with you."

"Hey, I'm not that easy." A small silence passed them before they both started to laugh together. "I mean, like, you know what I mean!" Yuu moved to tickle Touko, who quickly apologized for laughing at her statement through happy giggling. Once done, Yuu started to massage again. "But for real, I just worry."

"You worry about me?" The girl's voice was getting soft. "Really?"

"Of course... If you're getting enough sleep, if you're working too hard... I've never really had any kind of friendship with any clients before... and at school I'm kind of a loner so I only have a few close friends."

"A loner? But you're so energetic and cute... why?"

"I'm damaged." Yuu answered simply. "All my life, I've been hearing about love and how it feels, but I've never been able to understand it. When I was in my senior year in high school I had a really bad depression moment and I agreed to have sex for money. I didn't even know them, but I was desperate to figure out if I could love someone. We had sex and I felt... empty. Nothing..." Her hands began to slow. "I'm just a void, incapable of loving someone... So when I saw how much girls made at a place like my company, I thought I could just..."

"Just...?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah." Touko purred when the girl slid lower and began to massage her calves.

"I really want to be a popular gamer, the kind that has millions of fans and makes a living playing the advertising game of the online world. I thought I had a nack for it, but it's harder than I thought. I saw that my company was looking for more girls and after talking with them, realized that it was pretty much just another job for me. I could work for a few hours and get a hefty check, so it was quick and easy. With my emotions the way they are, I just kind of think of it as... a substitute for working out?"

Touko giggled a little into her pillow. "That's one way to see it."

"Hey, I think I have a great figure for it!"

"You're so short, it's adorable." She got a smack on the butt and laughed out. "Sorry, sorry!" The two settled in comfortable bliss while just enjoying being with each other. The way Yuu was working her fingers felt like magic, and soon she found herself starting to doze. "Yuu...?" A very gentle hum came. "Could you...?"

"Of course..." Yuu put the bottle away and moved to the entrance of the bedroom, clicking off the lights and closing the door. Making her way back to the bed, she slid under the covers and curls up against Touko's body. "Don't want to get clothes on?"

"This is fine, if you're okay with it..." Her voice was already drifting.

"I'm fine. Sweet dreams, Touko-senpai." The words got her a small hug, the girl's arm laying over her waist to keep their bodies touching.

"Sweet dreams, my precious underclassman Yuu." The words made Yuu stir slightly, but the sleep deprivation was already pulling the older girl into the land of dreams...

When Yuu awoke the next morning, the sun was barely casting light through the windows. The bed she was in felt bigger than it was the night before, and after sitting up she realized it was because Touko was no longer there. Her eyes looked around the room and locked onto a note folded up on the nightstand next to a key.

_Yuu,_

_ Really sorry about this, but I got a call from work. Someone apparently can't make a photo shoot and I was suggested to replace her. I have to get there as soon as possible. You look really peaceful right now, so I thought you could just sleep a bit longer. My spare key is next to this note, so please lock up when you leave? Thank you again for last night, I'll miss you while I'm gone._

~_Touko_

Yuu sighed and slid from the bed so she could stretch out. '_Really not the smartest, trusting someone with a key to your place..._' Still, she tried her best to tidy up the room a little bit, make the bed, and then get dressed. Flipping the note over, she drew a heart on it and a smiley face before setting it on the pillow.

Leaving the apartment, she made sure to turn off the lights and double check the door too make sure it was securely locked. Her phone was looked at idly while walking down the hallway to the elevator to ride down. After a short wait the doors opened and she stepped inside. The only other occupant in the small room met her eyes and Yuu instantly felt ice in her veins.

"...What the heck are you doing here!?" The person's voice was clearly aggravated at Yuu's presence.

"Work." Yuu turned and hit the bottom floor button on the elevator.

"Pffft. Little early for that isn't it? Or did you stay the night?"

"Stayed the night." Yuu replied coldly. "Don't worry, I didn't cause any harm."

"Yeah right."

Yuu looked over her shoulder. "You need to stop blaming me for that. At first I thought it would help you, but now you're just taking your anger out on me unfairly. It's not my fault, and you need to get over yourself, Sayaka." Green eyes narrowed as Sayaka hit the door open button to make the elevator stop on the next floor down. When the gates slid open, Sayaka instantly shoved Yuu out of it and hit the close button. "Freaking bitch!" Yuu screamed at her from the floor as the doors closed.

"Whore!" Sayaka managed out just before she started to move again, going to the bottom level. '_Freaking... I never wanted to see her ever again!'_

Yuu climbed to her feet and glared at the silver doors angrily. Kicking at nothing and moving her hands around in frustration, she tried to get the rage out of herself. It worked to hemorrhage her anger nicely, if not making her look like a very bad dancer to anyone looking on. Once calmed down, she took several breaths and hit the down arrow with her palm. '_Not what I needed today._'


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday. Lately it had become a day of relief for me. Ever since I met Touko, I've always looked forward to my Saturdays. This was the first time since we met that we wouldn't share a bed for the night on our day together. At first I didn't really mind, seeing it as just time off from my job, but as the day got closer and closer, I started to really feel that desire in me. Being held, whispers in my ear, the soft feeling of warmth and comfort from simply being with someone. It felt... mutual. We both wanted it. It wasn't like my other clients, where I would play the role they wanted to see and then walk away covered in sweat. When Touko left, I felt...satisfied. Like things were good... And now I missed her more than I already did.

**Alternative Understandings II**

**By: Satashi**

Yuu leaned back in her chair and looked at the monitor before her. It had been a nice night on her live stream. Things started to die down as different age groups began to call it a night or go do other things. The numbers were dropping since she swapped games, leaving her with only a few hundred watchers. "Hey guys, I'm going to take a fast break, then let's have some fun together, 'kay?" She shot a wink at her webcam and moved her AFK picture over her stream so she had some privacy. Muting her mic, she sighed out and rubbed her eyes before pulling her headset off. '_Getting tired... But it's still early..._'

Grabbing a bottle of water from a little refrigerator in her room, Yuu looked at the stars being projected all over her ceiling and wall. Just as she thought, it was both calming in her room and awesome on her stream. She had several people screaming about it in her chat, which made her even more happy to have gotten it from her friend. '_I wonder what she's doing right now?_' Taking a long drink, she fell back into her chair and looked at her off monitor. '_She said she streamed too, right? Talking with fans?_'

After a few moments of searching, a profile came up that seemed like it was a good start. Several clicks were made while taking another drink, and soon she found the girl's resume and social links from a company she worked for before. '_Tell me she's on Twitch..._' Her lips turned into a smile as she saw the live icon by her name. '_Oh this is too good._'

Opening Touko's stream, Yuu had to hold back a giggle at the horrible quality laptop webcam being used. The camera was ever so slightly misaligned with her body, and Touko looked rather nervous as she talked about something that a fan must have asked. Once she finished up, Touko went silent while seeming to read, and then spoke up. "Ah, we have a new viewer! Welcome Orange Justice!"

Yuu smiled, leaning forward and typing out: **Hello! You're really cute! Do you have a boyfriend!?**

Touko read the statement aloud and laughed, waving her hands. "No, no! I don't!"

Not being able to help it, Yuu continued. **How about a girlfriend? Someone to snuggle with on Saturday nights?**

This time Touko hesitated, confusion clear on her face. The other thirty or so people in the chat were laughing and commenting like crazy, some calling Yuu rude, and others trying to protect their precious idol's image by throwing insults. "Ah...haha. Noooo, no one I snuggle with. Just me!"

Licking her lips, Yuu bounced her foot in excitement. **So if I asked you to buy me dinner, get some seafood, talk about high school, and then ask to be your body pillow, what would you say? Oh, and can you pay me to do it too?**

The chat exploded with requests to have the new person banned for harassment, but Yuu only smiled with her cheek propped up on her palm. Touko was clearly shocked, cheeks red, and stammering to look for a reply. "Ah, uhm, oh! You're... You're talking about that doujinshi, right? That one where the main character had insomnia? I remember signing something for someone who had that when we met. Is that you?"

Yuu tapped playfully. **Yup. Wanna play a game?**

"A...game, Orange Justice?"

**Accept my invite. One moment.** Yuu flicked back to her stream, unmuted her mic, and moved the image blocking her screen. "Oh guys, you're in for a treat! I have an idol friend who might play a game with me. Let's see if we can snag her!" Clicking madly, Yuu chewed on her tongue that was lightly sticking out from her lips, a huge smile on her face. "There!" Headphones came on her head and soon her stream image split into dual videos. "Everyone, please welcome Touko, an up and coming idol, who is on destination shooting a commercial and magazine ad!"

Touko looked stunned, suddenly seeing Yuu's face on her screen and hearing the voice as well. Then, out of nowhere, dozens and dozens of new people started to join her stream as well. "Wha...huh!?"

"Dual stream, babe." Yuu gave a peace sign and a wink, making her chat go crazy. "I'm Orange Justice, and I challenge you to a game. Whoever loses has to do something the winner says!"

The shock was starting to die down and Touko began to laugh, leaning forward in excitement. "Okay! I'm in! What do we do?"

After several minutes of talking about games they both played, what Touko had on her computer, and the lack of any real skill set, the two finally decided on a simple Minecraft challenge. Yuu because she was trying to play nice, and Touko because she didn't really have experience with much of anything at all. "So here's the plan. We both start on a server, and the first one to grab a diamond wins."

"I can do that," Touko laughed. "Be sure to cheer for me everyone!"

"Don't think so," Yuu countered her. "My fans are loyal and...Tha heck!? Don't cheer her on guys, come on!" Glaring at her web cam, she tried not to hold back a smile as her followers started declaring love for Touko and subbing to her channel.

"Looks like I'm the favorite, Yu-Orange Justice!" The two joined the designated server and looked at each other in game. "Ready? Go!"

"No fair!" Yuu laughed, instantly getting to it. Once again, she leaned forward, tongue lightly out. The chat started laughing at the 'game face' Yuu had, while others tried to get Touko to notice them. The girls on the other hand just focused on the task. The orange haired girl quickly started to hit a tree, dig down, grab materials, and before even two minutes passed, was using an iron pick to mine down until she hit a ravine, jumped into the water, and slid to a diamond ore, grabbing it. "Got it!"

"What!? No way, I don't even have a stone pick yet!" Touko moved her game to see her stream and Yuu's inventory. "H-how!?"

"I'm good. Noooooow, what to ask for?" Smiling at her friend, Yuu felt more joy than she had in the past few months combined. The simplicity of it, the random ability to talk to her, and just not being alone while working was almost too much for her. "Oh, I have it... Since your Twitch name is just your idol name, in return for winning, I want you to change it to... Sapphire. At least just for tonight."

Touko tilted her head. "Sapphire? Why?"

"Because you have blue eyes, and it's a blue gemstone." Her words got an immediate blush. Touko looked away for a moment before glancing back at the image of Yuu on her screen. The chat noticed and flooded the box with different emotes, the screen flooding from the excitement.

"Okay, I will." Touko started to look at her screen, fingers moving around to type a bit. It only took a few moments before she sighed out, grinning at Yuu. "There. My name is now Sapphire. But I want a rematch!"

"Oh? Same deal?" Yuu grinned.

"Same deal." The two started again, emptying their inventories. "Go!" This time Touko kept an eye on her opponent, watching the small window of Yuu's stream on the bottom right of her game. When she saw her chance, she followed along Yuu's descent and snuck up behind her. Then, when Yuu was crouching by lava to mine a diamond, Touko simply popped her to make Yuu dive into the magma.

"Wha!?" Yuu looked at the death message on her screen in shock. "But... that sound was..."

"Got a diamond." Touko stated simply. "Thanks for the help, by the way."

"Did...Did you just PK me...?"

"Does that mean push you in lava? Then yes. Yes, I did." Yuu was deathly silent for a moment, just staring at her screen while their chat was filled with laughter and emotes. "You're... not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Heck, I'm proud!" Yuu fell back in her chair, honestly happy that she was actually playing a game with a friend. "Wow... Wow! Hahahaha, okay okay, you win. What do you want me to do?"

"Hmmm..." Touko smiled. "What should she do everyone?"

Yuu flinched. "Sa...Sapphire..." But it was too late. The chat was scrolling as fast as possible with everything from flashing to saying silly things.

In the end, Touko decided on something simple. "Okay then, let's be the same. I want you to change your name in your most played game. Can you do that?"

"Eh? Yeah I can do that." Yuu smiled, shaking her head at the turn around she just got. "What name?"

"Amber? Because your eyes are gold?"

"Uhmm..." Yuu crossed her arms while thinking. "I like that we would match, but Amber sounds like a common name more than a gemstone, so I think some people may not get it..."

"Oh... Then how does, 'Sapphire's Number One Fangirl' sound?"

Yuu's eye twitched. "Now see here..."

"You lost." Touko was almost singing the words.

"...Fiiiiine. I'll change it next time I log in." The two looked at each other through the screen and then away. "Well... I'm gonna have to call it a night here. Let's do this again sometime?"

"Sure! It was a lot of fun. I think my fans really enjoyed it too." An awkward moment passed over them. "Then... Uhm..."

"Yeah." Yuu started typing, sending Touko a private message. **Can I call you after?**

**Yeah, I'd like that.**

Yuu took a breath. "Well that'll be it for the night. Don't forget to love each other more and..." She put two fingers to her lips and blew a kiss. "See you next time everybody!" A mouse click later and her stream ended, displaying her standard offline message.

Yuu stretched out and popped her neck, giving Touko time to end her stream as well. When her side went black, Yuu clicked a couple of times and a private chat came up, along with a ringing sound. Moments passed and soon Yuu saw her friend on her screen. "Hey, Touko."

"Hey there, Yuu." The two smiled at each other. "I enjoyed that. I was really lonely tonight and then I saw you and... Just wow."

"Yeah, wow, huh?" Yuu scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Mind if I swap to my tablet?"

"Go ahead?" Touko watched the girl hold up her portable device and with a swipe of her fingers, the camera angle changed as she was transferred. "That was so neat, how did you do that!?"

"Synced devices," Yuu yawned out casually while carrying her tablet to the small sink in her room so she could brush her teeth. "I'm getting super tired so I'm going to turn in soon."

"Really? I guess I should as well then..." Touko watched as Yuu sat her screen down behind the faucet and so casually began to brush. "Hehe... this is kinda fun." Eying Yuu, she felt a small amount of warmth coming to her cheeks and ears. "Kind of like we're getting ready for bed together, huh?" Unplugging her laptop, Touko carried it to her bathroom. "Are those the stars behind you?"

Rinsing her mouth out first, Yuu nodded. "Yup. Have them on every night. My chat loves them too. Thanks a lot, by the way." Moving around her small space, she placed Touko on her dresser before starting to strip down. "You're at a hot spring resort, right?"

"Yeah, it's really huge here. Not like those traditional ones, more like a hotel." The warmth was now a full-on blush at the sight of Yuu shamelessly stripping to her panties. "Uhm... Can you turn the camera?"

"Why?" Yuu flirted with her before looking down at herself. "You've seen me naked before."

"Y-yeah, but..." Touko played with her hair a moment before starting to strip as well. "...Aren't you going to tell me to turn my camera?" She looked at the screen, seeing Yuu carry her to the bed and jump onto it back first.

"No way, I'm taking screen shots of this." Just as she expected, the laptop was instantly turned to face the wall. "I'm kidding, Touko! I'm not going to sleep naked either." Reaching above her bed, she pulled down the long black sleeping shirt she got as a gift. "I've been wearing this every night for the past few days."

"Really?" Touko came back on the screen. "You like it? Fit nicely?"

"Yup. I'll send you a selfie later," Yuu yawned.

"You don't have my number, do you?"

"Nope, I'm not allowed to ask for it. But if you wanna just send your live stream buddy a message or something, I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Cheeky!" Touko sat her laptop by her bed and started tapping on it. "There, Line ID sent."

"Thanks. You should probably save my name under something different, just in case. You never know, you might get popular and have your phone looked at one day. Won't be good to have a call girl on it."

"I don't mind."

"Your fans will."

Sighing, she agreed. "Okay, I'll save you as something different. Orange Justice?"

"Sounds good." Yuu slid under the covers and stretched. "I'll leave the projector on so you can see. I probably have an hour of battery left for the night."

"Hm? I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I am." Yuu adjusted the tablet so it was sitting on her nightstand, now more angled at her face. Although the screen was pretty dark, the artificial starlight illuminated her enough to just make out her face. "You are too, right?"

"Y-yeah?" Touko took another few seconds to catch on. "Wait, are we... Going to sleep together?"

"Mmmhmmmn." Yuu snuggled under her covers and looked over at the screen. "You don't even have to pay me. Night night, Touko. Sleep well, okay?"

"Y-yeah." Joining her friend, Touko slid under her covers and hugged one of the two pillows she had. Blue orbs looked over at her laptop in the dark, only seeing Yuu's face on a pillow with closed eyes. "Sweet dreams, Yuu."

Touko felt relief wash over her as she finally made it back to her apartment after the several days at the photoshoot. Even though she was at such a nice place, after constantly doing things for a company, taking photos and video, and working with others, she felt like she needed a vacation. To top it off, the celebration party for a job well done was tomorrow night, and she only had the day to get ready to go out drinking with everyone. '_I wonder if Yuu would like to come along..._' Reaching for her phone, she picked it up. '_But wait... Isn't she on call right now? Do I need to reserve her?_' Looking at Yuu's name on the screen, she hesitated. '_Where does work end and friendship begin? I think I should pay her to come out with me, but at the same time I'm asking because I want to hang out with her... But that's what her job is, so... Oh man, I'm so confused.'_

Deciding not to risk it, Touko loaded up the app on her phone to check Yuu's availability from her company. '_Oh thank goodness, she is free in time for it... Oh wow, her schedule is starting to get more full as time goes on._' Her finger tapped Yuu's profile and saw her measurements, weight, employment time, and reviews left by customers. '_I really don't want to read that, but I'm still a little proud of her. She's working hard, and..._' Feeling more confusion, she leaned onto her couch. '_But... Each one of these time slots she has filled, she will be with someone having sex… Where does me wanting to take her to a bar with people she doesn't even know come in?_'

Feeling her head start to hurt, Touko sighed out. '_I guess I have no choice but to ask her..._' Before she could change her mind, the girl hit the call button. Four rings came before Yuu's voice got on the line.

"Hey Touko, what's up?"

"Uhm, hey Yuu, I was wondering...uhm... My group is getting together to have a small drinking party tomorrow night to celebrate the finishing of the shoot. It's only going to be a handful of people, but we're encouraged to come and bring a friend if we want... Would you like to go with me?"

"Like a date?" Yuu hummed and the sounds of keyboard keys being hit came up. "What time is it?"

"We'll start about eight at night."

"I have a session that ends about seven, so I think I could make it in time... Only catch is I have the next slot from eight to midnight set as available time, so if someone purchases it, I'll have to work."

"If that happens, it'll be fine. I understand."

"...Touko." Yuu's voice suddenly got serious. "Listen, I do consider you a friend, but I have to be completely honest here... My job is to meet people and spend time with them. If someone reserves that slot, I will have to cancel our date to go have sex with them. Do you understand?"

"Yeah..."

"You sound sad." Yuu's voice softened. "This is the bad part about a sex worker, Touko. Remember when I told you I can't feel love?" She got a soft hum. "This job is perfect for someone like me... But at the same time, it means things like this happen. I want to be your friend, but you have to accept that about me, Touko. I can go on a date with you, but I can't love you."

"That's fine." Touko replied at once. Her body shifted to lay on her couch. "Yuu... I... I hate myself. I don't want anyone to love someone like me, but... I want to keep getting to know you. I think about you a lot. I can't wait till Saturday every week. I miss you when we don't talk... Yuu, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"... Even though I can't return it?" The girl filed the other information in the back of her mind to bring up when they were in person.

"Yeah..."

"Even though I'm an escort?"

"Yeah."

"...Touko... You're asking to be hurt one day. Trust me, I know. Nothing good will come from being with me..."

"I know... But I still want to love you. Will you let me?"

Yuu sighed softly. "I... won't say no."

"So that's a yes?"

"...I can't let anyone know. I'll be fired on the spot if anyone even thinks I'm involved with a customer. There is a no tolerance rule for that."

"It's your job. I'll still pay you to be with me."

Yuu rubbed her eyes. "This is a dangerous road."

"Tell me no or let me love you." Touko spoke the words seriously. "I can handle this. I haven't slept this well in years, and I can't deny that it's because of you. I want to know you more, be with you more, and experience love for once. I know your job. I know what you do. I know I pay you for time every week. Let me love you."

"...Okay." Yuu sighed gently. "But you have to swear to me the instant you feel insecure, you'll tell me."

"Promise... So, hang out with me and my friends tomorrow?"

Yuu hesitated. "Touko... someone just bought that time slot."

"I know."

"... Well, Touko-san, I look forward to being at your service tomorrow night."

"Wear something cute."

"That costs extra."

"Hehehe... I love you, Yuu."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow?"

"Can't wait."

Walking along to her usual meet up spot, Yuu saw Touko already there for her. Her friend was in a lovely sweater with jeans and boots, hair up in a ponytail. "Touko!" The younger girl waved a hand, getting her attention. She had chosen one of her prettier short dresses with black stockings underneath and light heels. A simple cardigan was over her shoulders to help protect her from the cold and a small bag was over her shoulder to carry her phone.

"Yuu!" Touko turned and at that moment, the shorter girl realized that someone was standing next to her. "You're early! Meet my friend Sayaka. Sayaka, this is Yuu."

Sayaka's eyes narrowed at the girl. "Hello, Yuu."

"...A pleasure."

Touko smiled. "Good, now that you're here, I need to run to the bathroom right fast. You two get acquainted, okay?" Before either of them could protest, she ran off with a wave.

"...How does Touko know you?" Sayaka asked, voice dripping with venom.

"I help her with her live streaming," Yuu countered hotly. "What, you think Touko is going to call an escort service? Nice friend _you_ are."

"Oh, so she doesn't know you're a prostitute?"

"I'm a call girl." Yuu growled. "Get over it, it's what I do. Why do you, of all people, know her?"

Sayaka scoffed and turned so she could talk without having to look at her. "I'm her best friend and I help with her job. As such, I can't approve of her being around you. If anyone saw you two together, it might cause a scene."

"You'd know all about that."

Sayaka turned again, taking a step closer to Yuu so their noses were almost touching. "If you make one pass at her, I swear I'll slap you."

"Been there, done that." Yuu fired back. "To both accounts." Sayaka's body moved and Yuu leaned back, the palm swishing before her face. "How long are you going to blame me for this, huh!?" Moving forward, she put a finger to Sayaka's chest and pushed her back a half step. "I thought I was helping you vent your anger out to help you get over it, but you're just holding the grudge against me instead of him."

"If it weren't for you, then-"

"Then it would have continued with someone else and eventually happened anyway," Yuu growled. "I'm done taking the blame. I'm not going to shoulder this anymore. I'm finished, Sayaka." Turning, Yuu leaned her back against the light pole, looking the other direction.

Sighing, the other girl leaned against the post, back to back. "What a way to start a night."

"Feeling's mutual."

The time ticked by slowly for them until Touko came back, a smile on her face. "Sorry for the wait! Let's go!" Giggling, she linked an arm with both of them and started walking to the nearest bus stop. "Did you two get along?" Neither one answered her, but she didn't seem to mind. "I'm so thankful I got both my good friends to come with me. I hate drinking, but I really need to socialize with people. Luckily the Senpai of the group are going to pay for everyone, so there's always that, right?"

"Y-yeah. I didn't... bring much." Yuu laughed lightly. "You know how it goes."

"You come right after work?" Sayaka eyed her sideways. "How diligent. I thought I smelt sweat."

"Yuu is a hard worker," Touko praised.

"Y-yeah, I work really hard to get your live stream numbers up, Touko. How much did you go up last Saturday?"

"By a lot!" She instantly beamed at her. "One night I had like fifty people subscribed to me and the next morning I'm almost pushing three hundred!"

"Told you I work hard at my job." Yuu glared back at the other girl, a smug look on her face at the attempted call out.

When the trio arrived at the pub, they found a large section of it with tables pushed together and already several people talking loudly. "Touko-chan!" A man called out with a big wave. "Come on, introduce your friends!"

Proudly Touko motioned to them. "Saeki Sayaka. Koito Yuu."

Yuu waved. "Hey there. Live streamer and analytics advisor."

Sayaka lightly bowed to them. "A pleasure to meet you all."

It didn't take long before conversation started to pick up, drinks were passed around, random snacks, and appetizers were devoured. Touko was put up on highlights in conversation, the group talking about how they managed to grab an idol before she blew up famous. Yuu just smiled at everyone, trying to keep to herself as much as she could. Sayaka was the opposite, joining in almost every conversation around her at one point or another.

A few hours in, and Touko began to feel the effects of the drinks and warm environment. She let out a yawn, but still smiled at everyone. Someone from the side suddenly stood up to address everyone. "Hey guys, the rendering is done! I'm going to go to the studio to pick it up. The commercial will air once we approve it and send it off. Touko-chan, you want to come with me to see it?"

"Ah, I would, but I can't just leave my friends when I asked them to come with me."

"It's okay," Sayaka encouraged her. "This is your moment, go get it."

"Yeah, it's fine." Yuu patted the girl on the back. "I'll stay and chat with everyone for a while longer in your place."

"You girls..." Smiling, Touko stood up. "If that's the case... I'll join!" A few people cheered at her. With a few others joining them to see the finished product, the rest joined together at the end of the table. Yuu was forced to slide down next to Sayaka, much to their displeasure.

"So, how about a game?" One of the guys asked while looking at the girls. "Sink the ship."

Yuu hesitated. "I'm tiny and I've already drank a bit, I think one loss would make me go under."

"Oh, come on," Sayaka taunted her. "Surely you can handle this?"

"...Fine." Yuu gave in, not wanting to back down. Soon a glass of beer was put on the table and a shot glass was floated on it carefully. "Me first." Yuu picked up a bottle of whiskey and poured some into the shot glass before setting the bottle down. Sayaka picked it up next and added just a splash to it before setting it back on the table. Both guys playing with them did the same and Yuu was faced with the bottle one more time. Gulping, she added just a drop to it and placed the bottle down quickly. Five seconds were counted and she sighed out in relief.

Sayaka frowned, looking at the shot glass barely afloat in the beer. Ever so carefully, she tried to tip the bottle for a drop, but the glass instantly sank. "Crap..." A few cheers came up and she took the glass, turning it up and drinking it down in one slow go. Even more yelling came at that and she shook her head to try and clear it. "Oh gross..."

Yuu actually looked impressed. "Wow, didn't think you for a drinker."

Sayaka tried to keep her dignity. "I'm sure you've had worse things in your mouth." Since she lost, Sayaka got the next glass set up and poured in a heavy dose, risking sinking it. The bottle was passed around and after five seconds of the last guy, the shot sank on Yuu just as she lifted the bottle. "Well, bottoms up, Yuu."

The small girl took several long breaths before closing her eyes and drinking it down. Three attempts later, she placed it on the table, having to bend over and cough violently a moment. Still, she was congratulated, and yet another glass was placed on the table. "I dunno if I could do another..." Yuu panted out.

"Too short to have a nice tolerance?" Sayaka edged her on.

"Ugh. Fine." Yuu set the glass in and heavy handed it hard. Setting the whiskey down, the seconds counted and Sayaka lifted the bottle just as the glass sank. "Looks like you're the chosen one." Yuu grinned.

One of the guys looked over at them. "You two look like you know each other?"

"We've met," Yuu snorted.

"Regretfully." Sayaka gulped down the glass again, this time gagging on it and having to stop to catch her breath.

"Aw, what's the matter? Too pretty to down it in one go?" Yuu snickered.

"Not all of us are good at downing bitter things in our mouths," Sayaka grumbled but held up her side of the game by finishing it. "Tell us, Yuu, how many guys have you gone down on?"

Yuu frowned as the people around them whistled. "Almost half as many as times as you've wanted someone to go down on you." The retort made Sayaka go red and the people around them started to get closer. Despite this, the girls didn't continue and instead turned back to the game. Three rounds passed with both of them not getting anymore, but the fourth landed on Sayaka once again.

Through foggy vision, the girl picked up the glass and took two drinks before setting it down and leaning over to try and breath. "I... I can't."

"It's getting late," Yuu realized, her own vision already fuzzy and room tilting a bit as she looked around it.

As Yuu leaned over to put her face in her palm to try and sober up, she heard faint words from the people across from them. "Let's take them home. I'll get Koito-san, you take Saeki-san."

"No way, I want Koito-san, she seems an easy lay."

"But Saeki-san is blackout drunk, you'll get laid either way."

"Fine, but you owe me."

Scoffing, Yuu frowned. "I'm going to go home."

"I'll walk you-"

"I'm fine." Yuu stumbled, but managed to catch herself. "I live in the... the dorms so... I can't bring anyone... up with me." Her words fumbled, but she still managed to wave to everyone and started to walk out.

"Saeki-san, I'll take you." A guy Yuu never got the name of lifted Sayaka from the chair and put his arm around her waist. The girl was barely able to comprehend what was going on, but nodded confusedly. She almost had to be carried, as her legs didn't want to move on their own.

The fresh cold air made Yuu feel a little more clear-headed as she took her time to inhale several deep breaths. '_I can't hold alcohol at all... Really smooth, girl._' She looked over at Sayaka being dragged out in the stranger's arms. '_Heh, she's in for a rough night._' Walking along, she felt her mind start to make her slow down. '_She's way past drunk... That guy is going to go for it._' She took a few more steps then stopped, breathing hard. '_None of my business. I was smart enough to not drink that much..._'

An image of Sayaka laying against a bed with small pills scatted along the carpet came to Yuu's mind, the glossy green eyes looking blankly at her.

'_Dang it..._' Turning, she began to storm after the pair, seeing a taxi stop next to them. "Hey!" The man stopped, looking back. "I'll take her."

"I already have a cab."

"Yeah, but she's way past drunk and it won't look good for either of you to leave together like this. I'll take her." Without waiting for a reply, the small girl swooped in and pulled Sayaka away, almost falling over from the weight and height advantage on her.

"Hey, come on now, I'm just-"

"I heard," Yuu snarled. "Leave and I'll stay silent." With that, the male got in the taxi and left them. Slowly, Yuu began to almost limp through the cold night with the girl. '_What the heck am I doing?_' Her mind was still fogged, but eventually she was able to make it to a bus stop. She took the case off her phone to retrieve an emergency note of money. With it, she got them both a ticket and rode together with Sayaka passed out on her shoulder.

Several minutes later, Yuu found herself arriving at a high-class apartment complex and entering in a passcode at the gate to gain access. Stumbling and grunting, she tried her best to shoulder the weight of the girl, feeling her lungs burning and legs shaking. Luckily the door she was headed to was on the first floor, and she found herself leaning onto it heavily to rest a moment.

Looking at the door, the keypad to unlock it swayed in and out of focus. Yuu's eyes closed and she took another hard breath to bring a hand up to it, tapped out a six-digit code, unlocking the door. "Haru-chan, no!" Yuu put her foot at the door to stop a cat from trying to run out. "Get back!" The two fumbled in and the girl kicked the door closed. "Silly cat, you know better."

Not bothering to change her shoes, Yuu dragged Sayaka with barely any help from her at all to the bedroom, and laid the girl down. "You're too much trouble," she panted out, feeling her shoulder screaming in pain at her. Both her legs felt like jello and her back hurt fiercely. "What am I even doing?" Yuu walked to the nearby bathroom and opened a medicine cabinet, grabbing a bottle and then moving to the kitchen to snag a glass.

"You need some water, Haru-chan?" Yuu struggled, but picked up the empty bowl the cat was meowing over. "You spilt it, didn't you?" She rubbed her eyes as the cat gave her a long meow. "Don't lie to me," she countered while filling it up and setting it down. "Here you go. Now for your mommy..."

With a glass of water, she stumbled back to the bedroom. "Sayaka. Hey, sit up." A half-conscious sound came and Yuu bent over to help lift the girl up. "Open your mouth. Take this." She put two aspirins in her hand. "You'll have a killer migraine tomorrow if you don't." She helped the girl drink and then laid her back down. She took two more pills for herself and returned the bottle to its place.

"I don't want to be here..." Yuu looked at her phone. "Too late for a bus or a train now... Damn it." Moving to a closet, Yuu opened it and grabbed a spare blanket and paused her hand over a pillow with a red case over it. "...You should have thrown this away, Sayaka." Grabbing it, she tossed it onto the couch and cut off the lights.

Laying on the couch, Yuu looked up at the ceiling darkly. '_What am I doing?_' She asked herself. Moments later she felt a cat jump up on her and curl up on her chest. '_I'm going to regret this in a few hours..._' Slowly a hand was brought up to pet the cat, purrs running thick. "...Sweet dreams, Haru-chan." And with those words, Yuu felt the strain finally overtake her and sleep claim her mind in dreams of the past.


	3. Chapter 3

Sometimes I knew when I was dreaming. I could watch the visions play around almost like a movie that I was part of. Although I could never control my dreams like I've read about some others doing, it was still a nice experience. This time, however, I was faced with parts of my past that I didn't want to remember. I couldn't force myself to wake up, and had to relive the memories that I would have preferred to never come to me again, memories of the girl that I knew back in my senior year of high school.

**Alternative Understandings III**

**By: Satashi**

"Koito-san! Please go out with me!" The words were forced out, a male in their high school uniform bowing before her. "I've always watched you on the track team! I want to get to know you more!"

Yuu took a deep breath to steady herself. "Ah, I'm sorry. I don't... really understand how love works... But thank you for your feelings. Really." The male before her sank down a bit before standing up again and thanking her. As he walked away, Yuu sighed and turned to keep walking around the cultural festival. Since her track team was having a cosplay café, she was forced to walk with a cat ear hair band and matching tail behind her, both seeming to blend in with her hair color smoothly.

"Excuse me," a voice made Yuu turn around to see a woman before her dressed in casual clothing. Despite this, she looked a little familiar to her. "I just graduated from this school. My name is Saeki Sayaka."

"Ah!" Yuu bowed politely. "Saeki-senpai! I've seen you before a few times. Can I help you with something?"

"I'd love to share some tea with you." Smiling, she met her eyes. "Would you care to join a Senpai who has already graduated?"

_~*It was that moment our fates were intertwined with each other's. I'm not sure why I agreed to go with her, but the way her eyes looked when she glanced at me...They were lonely... sad. Sayaka had just been rejected by her love interest, and when it was revealed to her parents, she was scolded and told to grow up, to stop being childish, and to find a man to marry. She wanted to know if she really was a lesbian, and hearing me say that I couldn't love, Sayaka thought it would be the perfect opportunity...*~_

Yuu fell back onto the soft silken sheets of Sayaka's bed, face red and eyes dilated. Before long, Sayaka laid on top of her, gasping for air as they both tried to come down from the intense rush they had given each other. "W...Wow..." Yuu breathed out.

"Y-yeah..." Sayaka agreed. Rolling onto her back, she looked up at the ceiling and brought a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Did... Did you find the answer you wanted?" Yuu looked over the pillow.

"I did... without a doubt..." Sayaka looked at her lover and couldn't help but turn over to her once more. "Again?"

"Sheesh... Okay." Yuu melted into the embrace, their lips touching again.

~*_Sayaka gave me ten thousand yen for every meeting we had. It was simple enough at the start: Show up, have sex, leave, repeat. I used the money to buy gear to start chasing my dream. A microphone, a web cam, a better computer, priority advertising on websites... It was a great deal. But then we started to talk after we had sex... Just a little at first, but as time went on, I began staying over night at her apartment more and more. My family thought I was getting tutored and didn't mind it at all, even encouraging me to prepare for university._*~

"You staying tonight, hun?" Sayaka asked as she walked to the small kitchen of her apartment.

"If you don't mind, yeah." Yuu was smiling, waving around a small wooden rod with a string and a feather attached at the end. Sayaka's cat, Haru, was trying desperately to catch it, and failing every time Yuu flicked it from her reach. "Hey, I meant to tell you, I'm thinking about getting a job."

"A job?" the older girl laughed while starting to grab things to cook for them. "Come on, isn't what I give you enough?"

"Well, yeah, but I can't rely on it forever, you know? What if you get tired of me one day?"

"Yeah, that'll happen." Sayaka bumped the pantry door closed with her hip, face a bright smile. "That thing you do with your tongue? Not going to give that up too easily." Yuu laughed, already past the point of being shy around each other over the months. "Besides, you really made me want to keep going, you know? I haven't had to take my anxiety medication in almost two months now."

"I know, I keep checking to see how many you have." Yuu gave her a peace sign. "Congratulations on recovering."

Starting to chop up vegetables, Sayaka couldn't help the grin on her face. "Really... When we met, I was so close to the edge... My family didn't accept me, my love didn't accept me, the world wanted me to change... I don't know if I would have made it without you."

"Hey, don't say that." Giving the kitty her toy, Yuu walked into the kitchen and hugged Sayaka from behind. "You're a strong girl. You'll be fine even if something happened to me, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Mmn..." Turning, Sayaka kissed her fondly. "But let's move on. Job?"

"Yeah!" Yuu kept the hug on the girl's back, going on tiptoes to rest her chin on Sayaka's shoulder. "I saw a local advertisement for a really big escort service, they're looking for new girls."

"Escort?" Sayaka laughed softly, shaking her head. "Oh my, I've spoiled you rotten, haven't I? Do they have a good reputation?"

"Mmn, I checked into it. It seems really legit, with background checks on every customer, routine check-ups for the employees every few months, and the retirement plans are top notch as well. Benefits for people who are there for so many years. I think I could put myself through college with it."

"And your family?" Sayaka hesitated. "You won't be able to hide that."

"Once I move into the dorms, it'll be fine. If I stay with it for a few years, then I can tell them and show them how serious it is and everything."

"Well, if that's what you want to do, I fully support you." Sayaka reached back to touch Yuu's nose. "That's why you told me, right?"

"Hehe... Yeah."

Sayaka leaned back onto the girl. "A dorm, huh...? Why not just stay here with me?" Setting the knife down, she turned in Yuu's arms. When the shorter girl went back flat on her feet, they touched foreheads. "You can pay rent in sex. We'll call it even."

"...You're just asking me to move in with you..."

"I am." Sayaka tilted her head, kissing Yuu gently. "You already have your own clothes and pillow here... I'll support you while you get your gaming channel going and while you work as an escort. Every day you'll come home to someone who will hold you all night long."

"...Okay." The two kissed again, soon sinking down to the kitchen floor, food forgotten.

~*_Sayaka supported me. I got the job I wanted, started my gaming channel, and began to seriously start preparing for university. Three times a week after school I went to work, spending two to four hours with random people. At first, I wasn't allowed to go anywhere except for the love hotel next to the company, but that was for my own safety and I preferred it. However, this rule was lifted after two months. My final year of high school was coming to a close in a few weeks... and that was when everything changed for us.*~_

Yuu held onto the arm of her most frequent client as they walked through the town. They had gone a few stations over to get to a really nice part of the city Yuu wasn't used to, and she was sure it was because he wanted to be seen with her without worry of anyone he knew catching him. "Hideki-sama," Yuu smiled up at him, hugging his arm. "We've been walking around all day, are you sure you don't want to use your time in a hotel?"

"I would love to, but I have to be somewhere later tonight so I can't this time. I just wanted to treat my favorite girl to some fun."

"Ahhh, you're so sweet, Hideki-sama!" Yuu laid it on extra thick for him, knowing from his profile and the time they've spent together that he really enjoyed the stereotypical high school girl.

"Yuu!?" The call made both of them stop, looking over to see a startled Sayaka looking at her with wide eyes.

"Ah, Sayaka!" Yuu blushed hard being seen at work. "Uhm, I'm at work, so I'll call you okay?" The look Sayaka was giving her was of utter shock and horror. The man she was with was standing deathly still as well, looking at Sayaka with a white face.

"Sayaka, come on, we need to finish shopping for-" Sayaka's mother walked over and suddenly froze in her tracks. "R-ryou?"

"Ryou?" Yuu looked up at her client. "Hideki-sama, do you know them?"

The man swallowed thickly. "I... can explain."

Stepping back, Yuu looked between Sayaka and the man she was with. "Wait... wait a second here, Sayaka what is this?"

"That's my line!" Sayaka screamed at her. "That's my father!"

The older woman was starting to look furious, storming over and slapping the man hard. "Ryou, you two timing... Sayaka, let's go!"

"But... his name is Hideki? I... wait... You're... married!?" Yuu looked up in horror. "You...! You liar! You forged a fake name!? You know we don't handle married clients! There are _rules_ to this!"

"I... I mean..."

Quickly running to chase after Sayaka, Yuu caught her arm. "Sayaka, I didn't-"

The girl ripped her arm free, glaring at her. "I supported you with everything I could... Your job, your struggle with your feelings, agreeing to accept that you would never fall in love with me... and... my _father_? How could you?"

"I didn't know!" Yuu tried to take her arm again, but instead got slapped for it. "Sayaka!?"

"Never speak to me again, homewrecker." Turning, the girl stormed off with her mother.

~*_Sayaka refused my calls for the next few days and I decided to go to her apartment to try and talk things out. I was sure she would understand if I explained how paperwork was forged and a fake ID had been given. She knew my job and encouraged me to keep it when I felt down, so surely it would get better. When I let myself into her apartment with the pass code she entrusted me with, I found her laying against her bed. Her anxiety medication was spilled on the floor and her eyes were glossed over. _

_I was terrified. I called 119 and someone came out for her. I rode in the ambulance, watched them pump her stomach, and eventually sat by her bedside. She hadn't taken enough to cause any serious harm, but she would be limited on her dosage. Her anxiety had come back, and with it, all the self-doubt and hate that she struggled so hard to leave behind. She relapsed, suffered through her parent's divorce, lost the father in her life, and was talked about behind her back by everyone she knew. _

_She blamed me. If I hadn't slept with her father, hadn't made her mother realize she was dating a call girl, hadn't revealed she over dosed on medication that was supposed to help her with it... Everything fell on me. I thought I could shoulder it, could let her hate me. If she hated me so much, there wouldn't be any room left in her heart to hate herself. Maybe it would make her not focus on her illness. If I just gave her time, we could work it out, and could try to set things right... But now I knew. It wouldn't get better. She wouldn't get over her anxiety again. She wouldn't forgive me. People wouldn't stop talking behind her back. She wouldn't find love... and she blamed it all on me.*~_

Yuu awoke with a small gasp, tears in her eyes. As she sat up on the couch, instinct made her move an arm to make sure Haru didn't fall from her chest. '_Ugh, what bad dreams..._' Her eyes were sensitive to the light shining into the apartment, and her head was lightly throbbing with her heartbeat. '_I guess I really did stay the night..._'

Standing, Yuu let Haru jump down before folding the blanket to replace it. Her hand lingered on the feather cushion she had slept on, and soon she gave it a hug, burying her face into it. '_I never wanted to feel this pain again._' She allowed herself a few moments before placing her pillow back into storage and closing the door.

Haru was rubbing against her leg, meowing up at her and making Yuu give a soft smile. "Okay, for old time's sake..." Quietly, she went to the kitchen pantry and got a can of cat food from it. The regular bowl was nipped, and soon enough she had a meowing kitty trying to climb her pants to reach the food just a few seconds earlier. Once it was sat down, Haru moved toward it to scarf it down hungrily. "You poor thing, not having eaten since yesterday afternoon." A small laugh made her sniff and wipe her eyes. "...I should leave, shouldn't I?" She asked the cat softly.

'_I know I should leave..._' Yuu moved around in the kitchen, grabbing specific things. '_I should be leaving._' A quick batter was made and slices of bread were cut. Cinnamon sprinkled and soon she began to cook the slices in a skillet. '_An apology? Is that why I'm cooking her favorite breakfast?_' After a few minutes she heard the bedroom door open.

Yuu was facing the wall behind the stove top and chose not to turn around. "I heard the guys talking about how drunk you were. I couldn't risk letting one of them take you to his house so I carried you here." The footsteps got closer and stopped right behind her, Yuu still not turning around. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes... I'll leave once you have something to eat, but make sure to take some medicine after for your headache."

Sayaka slid her arms around Yuu's waist, hugging her gently and resting her forehead on the shorter girl's hair. "...I hate you."

"...I know."

"I hate you so much..." Sayaka's grasp on her got tighter, her hands gripping Yuu's top. "I hate you... I never wanted to see you again..."

Yuu looked down, carefully cooking the last few slices of French toast. "...Yeah." Silence hung thick, Sayaka refusing to move from her spot. Minutes ticked by painfully slow before Yuu finally spoke again. "Sayaka, breakfast is ready."

Without a word, the girl moved to step away, getting two plates down and handing one to Yuu. The girls set up their breakfast and Sayaka took the plates to the table while Yuu poured them drinks. Sitting across from each other, they ate slowly, eyes staying down. "This is good." Sayaka spoke, sniffing and trying to look like she wasn't wiping tears.

"You loved this on the days off from school."

"Every weekend when you stayed over, you would cook it for me."

"Extra cinnamon and sugar." Yuu let out a small chuckle. "You were always so embarrassed if anyone saw you indulging in sweets."

"I had to make sure I kept up my image, you know." The two shared a laugh and looked at each other before suddenly stopping and looking away.

"...How have you been?" Yuu asked softly, unable to look across the table anymore.

"Okay... How is your streaming going?"

"Almost ten thousand subscribers now."

Sayaka slowly chewed, looking at her plate. "I missed your milestones, didn't I?"

"...Yeah." Yuu pushed her food with a fork for a moment. "How is your medicine doing?"

"I take it every day." Sayaka revealed softly.

"Any attacks?"

"Very rare."

Silence. Again. The sounds of their utensils touching the plates filled the void until they were both finished. "Let's clean up." Yuu stood and took the plates back to the kitchen to wash them. Without even realizing it, once the plate was cleaned, she handed it to the side. Sayaka took it, already holding a cloth to dry it. The old habits were picked up as if nothing had happened, the only difference now was the refusal to make eye contact or speak more than just a few words at a time.

"Does Touko know?" Sayaka finally asked as they finished.

Yuu looked down a moment before answering. "You know the rules. We haven't had sex." The answer was vague, but still gave the information requested without going directly against her non-disclosure agreement.

"...I confessed to her, you know. Right before we first met." Yuu turned to look at her, seeing tears in the girl's eyes. "The day I asked you to have sex with me... I was going to do something I'd regret that night after you left... Then you showed up again, saying you left your phone."

"...And we talked a bit." Yuu added in.

"And... And I thought, 'Just one more time.' to myself." Sniffing, she used her arm to clear her vision of tears. "Every time. Just once more. One more... Until I realized I couldn't get enough. You became my reason to live. You didn't judge me, didn't hurt me, didn't want to change me... And then, when I saw you with my father, everything just crashed on me all at once... Why did you let me blame you?"

"Because I was scared you would have to go back on your anxiety medicine. I thought it would be okay as long as it was hate and not fear..."

Sayaka stepped forward and hugged Yuu close, tucking the shorter girl up against her tightly. "I hate you so much... you... you stupid, kind-hearted, idiotic..."

Sniffing, Yuu hugged her back. "I know. I know, Sayaka."

"...Are you free today?"

"I can skip class."

"... Forty thousand yen... Stay the whole day." Sayaka gripped Yuu's clothing tightly, trying not to shake in the embrace.

"You don't have to-"

"I do!" Sayaka almost yelled. "If... If I don't pay you, I'll have to admit how badly I want it..."

"...Then I'm at your service, Sayaka."

Touko looked over at the door when a knocking sound came, and quickly ran over to open it. "Yuu!" She greeted the girl happily. "Welcome, come in."

"Hey," Yuu changed her shoes and looked around the apartment with a smile. "Our first official home visit, huh?"

"Yes, I'm really excited! I, uhm, tried to make us dinner, but it..." Trailing off, Yuu looked over in the kitchen to see a mess. "So I ordered us some delivery... Hope you like pizza?" With a gentle smile, Touko motioned over to the box on the living room table.

"Who doesn't?" Yuu laughed and walked to Touko to give her a tight hug. "It's been a hard week... I'm glad you called for me again."

"I didn't want to go another Saturday without you." Touko hugged her back, smiling fondly. "I slept really well after our video chat, but the rest of the week has been normal."

"Still?" Yuu allowed herself to be led to the living room area, where they sat on a sofa together. "Have you talked to a doctor or anything?"

"Yes, but they just want to give me sleeping pills. I have some, but I don't like taking them... It's hard to wake up the next morning and it kind of scares me."

"Well, girls are better than pills anyway."

"Just way more expensive." Touko leaned over and let her head fall to Yuu's lap.

"Hey, I work countless hours of overtime for you, you know." Yuu teased her with a little smile. "These are long hours! Everyone at my workplace is impressed I can lose a night of sleep every week, having sex all night and all."

"Hehe, sounds like you get along with your coworkers?" Touko raised her hand to brush Yuu's cheek gently. "I don't have many friends."

"There's always me."

"...I prefer to think of you as my lover, you know?"

Yuu smiled. "Says the girl who hasn't touched me once since we met."

"...It's embarrassing. We've been together for almost two months now and have shared a bed several times... How do I act around the girl I told I was falling for?"

Yuu swallowed, feeling a little confused at how to answer that. "You shouldn't fall for a call girl..."

"I've come to terms with what it means..." Touko slowly sat up and leaned forwards. "It doesn't matter who you're with, as long as you come back to me..."

Moving forward, Yuu slid by Touko's lips to instead give her a hug. "Touko... Why do you hate yourself so much? I've wanted to ask you for a long time now, but never had the chance..."

"...I lost my sister when I was almost twelve," The words were whispered softly, arms going around Yuu to hold onto her close. "It was my fault she got in an accident, because I didn't want to go to the store, so she went instead. Everyone told me to live for her as well, to accomplish my dreams in her place, to make sure I lived life to its fullest..." A sad scoff came, tears starting to burn her eyes.

"What good is it to tell a girl like me to live a life for her sister, when she can't even live for herself? I tried, Yuu, I really did... I changed who I was, changed how I acted, became the girl everyone lost that day... but I hated it. I hated not living up to the sister I knew... and then, I broke down. I had a small moment of being totally lost, unable to do much of anything..." Touko took a steadying breath, feeling Yuu start to rub her back soothingly. "I pushed through it, found my feet again, and started living for myself... but I was never able to get over failing my sister."

"You didn't fail her," Yuu spoke softly. "I think any sister would want their sibling to live a life for themselves. I never knew your sister, but I do know I'm proud of you, Touko. You struggle with something that most people can't even really fathom the depth of, but you still smile so brightly when you're doing your job. You work hard, pull long shifts... Even when not at work, you talk to your fans and treat them like real people. It's amazing."

"Then why can't I sleep?" Touko pulled back to look at her friend. "Why do I stay awake at night with all these thoughts going through my head?"

"I can't answer that," Yuu moved her own hand up to caress Touko's cheek. "All I can do is hold you and tell you that it'll be okay. It's up to you to come to terms with everything you have been through, and to accept them rather than to let them control you... But I promise I'll stay here when you need me to. I'll hold you until you fall asleep whenever you ask me to."

Sniffing, Touko moved to wipe her eyes. "Thank you...Thank you, Yuu." When she looked at her friend again, she felt a sudden catch in her chest. Yuu was gazing at her softly, eyes gentle with long lashes accenting them. The perfume the girl wore was noticed then, a pleasant neutral smell that made her calm. "...Yuu...?"

"Yes...?"

"...Kiss me-" Her words cut off when lips pressed to hers. The light ting of strawberry Chapstick lingered on her, her body falling back to lie on the sofa with Yuu on top of her. "...Be gentle?"

"Yes..."

Touko woke up first, sitting up in bed and holding the covers to her nude frame. Yuu was asleep next to her, breathing steadily with such soft snoring sounds, that it made the older girl want to record it to tease her about later. Her hand went to gently brush some hair from the sleeping girl's face and a smile overtook her. Leaning, she gave Yuu's cheek a kiss and tried her best to slip from the covers.

Yuu remained asleep, not even moaning at all the sound or movement. Touko moved to the tiny shower in her house to take a hot one, enjoying how the water made all her strained muscles relax again. Last night's actions came back to her, a stain flooded her cheeks. Yuu had treated her so delicately, guiding her first experience with a tender hand and loving touch. '_I can't believe someone that soft and caring can be a call girl..._'

Moving from the shower, the girl picked up a towel and began to dry herself off. '_The hugging, the whispering, all the touches she gave me..._' Her cheeks were already flushed red from the hot shower, but her thoughts only seemed to be making it worse. '_And when she made me...oh wow, that was intense..._' The blow dryer came on and she started to brush her hair along with it. '_I didn't know sex would make me feel so... intimate and vulnerable... And she just... every time our eyes met..._' Shaking her head, she tried to focus. '_Come on, Touko, get yourself together! You wanted to make her breakfast this morning!_'

Back in the bedroom, Touko smiled at the topless figure of Yuu sitting up in the bed with massively unruly hair. "Good morning, Yuu."

"Good morning," Yuu yawned loudly. "Man, I'm beat... how can you move around after that?"

"You can't? Thought you were used to this?"

"Not seven hours' worth..." Yuu got up from bed and almost limped her first few steps. "Man, my tongue feels numb..."

"D-don't say that!" Touko gasped. "That's embarrassing!" She only got a sly look and a smile. "A-anyway, get some clothes on!"

"Hehehe, you're so cute. Mind if I shower first, though?"

"I-I mean shower first, then get dressed! I was going to offer, I mean, the shower, not getting dressed, and I..." Stopping, she covered her face with her palms. "Oh man, I'm so embarrassed I can't even talk..."

"Don't worry." Yuu gave the girl a hug and kissed her hair. "I'll take that shower then." With that, she left the towel clad girl and went to the bathroom, turning the water on.

Touko felt nervous as she put on some casual lounging clothes, feeling as if she had done something naughty and then got called out on it. '_I can't believe I'm so shy! We've seen each other naked before!_'

Touko went to her kitchen, getting ready to start their day properly, but a knock at her door made her pause. '_Who could it be this _early?' Her eyes darted to the clock, seeing it was already half past ten. '_...Oops.' _Looking through the peephole, she saw her friend standing outside and a hard blush went over her face. '_Oh crap! Calm down, just calm down! She doesn't know anything. She won't know we had sex... Just act normal._'

When the door opened, Sayaka smiled at her friend. "Hey, sorry for coming by unannounced."

"It's fine, come in." Touko stepped to the side. "What brings you here."

"Just wanted to talk in person for a moment, if that's okay?" Her eyes went to the side. "Is your shower going? Did I get you at a bad time?"

"No, no, I just got out." Touko waved her hands. "You see, I had a sleep over last night with one of my friends and they have to go somewhere today so I let them use my shower!"

"...Okay?" Sayaka heard the water cut off.

"So, uhm, talk? Yeah, you wanted to talk?"

Sayaka tilted her head. "Yeah, I wanted some advice actually. You see, I have a friend that I treated really badly, and I wanted to try and make up with them... We spent some time together, but it quickly turned into things we used to do together instead of talking everything out..."

"So you want help on how to apologize to them? How bad did you treat them?"

"...Really, really bad..." Sayaka looked down sadly. "Like...Horribly... painfully... bad."

At that moment, Yuu emerged from the bedroom, wearing just her long black sleeping shirt and a pair of panties. "Hey, Touko, I don't really have any plans today so-" Her eyes went to Sayaka and her body froze. "Oh... Hello."

"...That's my line." Sayaka looked to Touko, who was stammering while trying to say something about why they had a sleepover, and then back at Yuu. "Working?"

"I'm off the clock now." Yuu felt relief wash over her when she wasn't slapped. "...Is that okay?"

Sighing, Sayaka crossed her arms. "It's fine, I'm just a bit jealous is all."

"What... Huh?" Touko looked between them. "What do you mean... work... and..." Touko quickly caught on. "Yuu!?"

Yuu simply smiled. "I can't talk about customers. You know the rules."

Touko sighed to herself. She was at a café with both Sayaka and Yuu, who were catching up with each other and trying to iron out problems they had with each other. "I can't believe my two best friends are sleeping together..."

"Same to you," Sayaka replied with a small smile. "To think we both knew Yuu... But I never thought you to be the type?"

"We just sleep," Touko instantly tried to defend herself before shyly looking down. "We..._did_... only sleep."

"First time," Yuu told her. "Touko confessed to me and it escalated."

Sayaka gaped at her. "Confessed? Really? Ugh, lucky." Crossing her arms, she tried to keep her dignity. "I got shot down a year ago."

Touko tried to hide in her palms. "Can you two please not casually talk about my love and sex life to each other while I'm right here?"

"Sorry," Sayaka smiled at her. "But at least this was an easy way to be able to talk with her... I'm glad it ended up this way. It will avoid conflicts later down the road."

"We need to really be careful about that," Yuu agreed, sipping her tea carefully.

"Touko." Sayaka reached over the table to take the girl's hands. "Take this from someone with experience... If you're going to love someone who has a job like this... You have to talk. You have to listen to each other and never jump to conclusions or let work interfere with how you feel... You'll see Yuu with several people, hear her tell you about her struggles, have to help her on bad days and give her massages when she works overtime... Can you handle that?"

Yuu looked at the girl in surprise. "...Sayaka..."

"Yes." Touko held her friend's hand and then reached to take Yuu's as well. "I can handle it... I love her, and I don't want to give that up. Even if she has this job... even if she can't love me back..._"_

The golden eyed girl scratched her cheek lightly. '_Don't I get a say in this?_' She thought nervously while her friends kept talking about their love for her.

Once the moment was over, Touko smiled across the table at them. "But that being said, how much do you know about Yuu? Did you two get close before your huge argument?"

Sayaka looked around before moving the collar of her turtleneck sweaters down, showing a few hickies and bite marks on her skin. "I know a pretty good bit about her."

Touko almost coughed in her tea. "From Yuu!? No way, she was so gentle!"

"Depends on who's she's with, She's rough with me."

"She can do that too!? I want to experience that!"

Yuu groaned and let her head fall onto the table. 'Someone... p_lease make them stop...'_


End file.
